Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christianity. Show all posts

Monday, January 27, 2014

You Get What You Pray For

Wow, a lot has happened since my last post in November 2013.

Today's insight is an offshoot from my Pastor's sermon yesterday morning. It has inspired me to write again, which is a huge deal because I have not written anything since November 2013. I said to a friend yesterday that I seriously feel as if God has, as in Job's day, said to the enemy "Have you considered my servant Joana?"

Yup, it's that hard. I feel as if God is stripping me bare and until yesterday's sermon, I was fighting it.  But no more, because as my pastor reminded me yesterday, the grape becomes even more useful after it has been crushed in a wine press. In the wine making process, the grape is placed under pressure until it is crushed and everything pours out of it. It is litterally trampled and seemingly destroyed. Yet, the end result is beautiful wine that can be preserved for years to become even more remarkable.

I'm in the wine press season of my life - where God is really crushing all the juices out of me. I was complaining until I remembered that you get what you pray for. For a while now, I've been desperately praying, "God, change me", "God, fix me", "God, I don't like the person that I am", "God, take everything out of me that is not of you".

God is answering me. He's answering me by putting me in places and situations where I have no choice but to let go of all those things that are tripping me up. He's shown me an image of myself in the mirror and drawing big red arrows pointing at the things that have to go. This process is hard, it hurts, it's scary and incredibly lonely sometimes but I know God is faithful. He reminded me yesterday that He has heard me and the fact that I'm going through this means that is answering my desperate plea to make me less like me and more like Him.

So folks, let's learn with me as it's a learning process for all of us. Don't believe any Christian who appears to know everything about this life, no matter how long they've been Christians. If we stop learning, we will stop growing and that is dangerous.

So here are the lessons I've learned between November and now.

1. You get what you pray for. When you ask God to work on you, He will. Don't resist the process.

2. In order for us to get to the point where we are useful to God, we have to go through the molding/crushing/shaping process. That process hurts but it is absolutely essential. Again, don't resist the process.

3. God hasn't forgotten you. He is faithful to finish what He starts. He hears our prayers, and even when it seems as if he is not there, He is, working quietly in the background, doing exactly what we asked. Stay focused and you won't lose sight of Him and what He is doing.



Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 
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Saturday, November 2, 2013

Fruit of the Spirit: LOVE

This is the first of a nine post series on the Fruit of the Spirit. Before we delve into the whole thing, let's talk about the Fruit for a while.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22-23

You will note that the word fruit is singular, this means that each characteristic described above does not exist in isolation but is part of a whole. In other words, we are not being called to display only love without self-control, or kindness without faithfulness. These are all things that we should strive for.

LOVE
What is love?
We have discussed love on this blog before but let us define it again.

Simply put, Love is a decision to prosper another person above yourself. It means that when you love someone, you consider their needs above your own.

There are many aspects to love. Infact many languages have more than one word for the concept of love. Today we'll look at just a few ways that love is manifested.

Love for one person to another
The bible paints an excellent picture for what love is and what it is not in relation to people loving each other. In 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7 it tells us:

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

The bible also tells us that love for one another: 
Is Precious: 

Proverbs 15:17

A bowl of vegetables with someone you love
is better than steak with someone you hate.

Is Edifying: 

1 Corinthians 8:1

Now regarding your question about food that has been offered to idols. Yes, we know that “we all have knowledge” about this issue. But while knowledge makes us feel important, it is love that strengthens the church.

Is Unquenchable: 
Proverbs 17:17
A friend is always loyal,
and a brother is born to help in time of need.

Songs of Solomon 8:6-7

Many waters cannot quench love,

nor can rivers drown it.
If a man tried to buy love
with all his wealth,
his offer would be utterly scorned.


Promotes peace: 
Proverbs 10:12
Hatred stirs up quarrels,
but love makes up for all offenses.

Proverbs 17:9
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.

These scriptures show us how powerful love is. If we learn to love each other the way it is taught in 1 Corinthians 13:4 -7, I'm sure we can all agree that the world would be a much greater place to live. 

Love of People for God
1 John 5:3 tells us something amazing: 
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome.
This means that our love for God can be demonstrated very easily. If we say we love Him, then what we have to do is pretty simple, keep his commandments! Wow. And here we all thought it meant we had to be at church a certain number of times for the week or serve on as many committees as possible or show our fellow Christians how much doctrine we know. Whilst these things are important, God simply requires one thing from us, that we do what He asks. Doing what He asks shows Him respect and shows Him love. 

Love of Money
This aspect shows us that love can have an evil side. Unfortunately for us, most of the problems we currently face in the world stem from man's love for money. People kill each other so that they can aquire what the other person has. Entire countries are suppressed and their resources stripped because of how valuable they are. We spend billions on war in an effort to control what another country has whilst children are starving all over the world. This list can go on and on and on. The point is that the bible is correct when it says: 

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)


So today, let us learn to exercise love for one another, the way the bible said we should. Let us also remember that God requires that we show love to him in the simplest way possible, just do what He asks. And finally, be reminded that love directed at the wrong thing can cause chaos in the world and in our loves. Let us set our priorities according to God's will and we will be much better off.

Next week, we will exam the second characteristic of the fruit, JOY! 


Devotions like this one and others can be found in the Soul Food Series in Kindle or paperback format. 
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Thursday, October 17, 2013

Gossiping

Gossiping.  We all know that it's wrong yet we all still do it.  Yes,  that's right.  I said all of us.   Every body gossips or has gossiped at some point in their lives.  Sometimes it happens accidentally or unconsciously but it still happens. 

It is so easy to be pulled into gossip.  You may not be a compulsive gossiper; you may not even like gossip, but somewhere along the line somebody comes to you with a juicy story that you just can't help listening to.  It may even appear that you are discussing the story out of concern for the individual in question.  However, at the end of the day, it's still gossip. 

Dictionary.com defines gossip as idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others.  We can all agree that we've all done that, right?

So what makes gossiping so dangerous? Let's see,  here are a few reasons.

1. A lot of the time the things we gossip about simply aren't true.  We can do a lot of damage to someone's character, family life, careers etc with idle talk.  We even justify our gossiping by saying where there is smoke there must be fire, but have you ever come across a situation where there isn't even an ounce of truth in a story that you've heard?

2. Gossiping can lead someone to depression.  The worst possible feeling you can have is knowing that you are being talked about but not knowing what is being said.  Maybe people have gone into states of depression because of this.  Others have committed suicide.  It's easy to say that people should keep their heads up and ignore gossip about themselves, but let's be honest.  Some people aren't very strong and we destroy them with our idle words.  We are like bullies preying on the weak. You never really know what people are going through behind closed doors and your idle talk may just be the thing that pushes them over the edge. 

3. It's just plain wrong. I clicked through one of my bible apps and just did a search for the word gossip in the NLT version. Even I was astounded by the number of results. Here are just a few. 

Proverbs 16:28
A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. 

Proverbs 17:4
Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander. 

Proverbs 20:19
A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don't hang around with chatterers. 

Proverb 25:23
As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!

Proverbs 26:20
Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops. 

Psalm 15:1,3 (I advise that you read the whole chapter)
1 Who may worship in your sanctuary Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill? 
3 Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbours or speak evil of their friends. 

So how do we avoid Gossiping? I said earlier that most of us do it unconsciously but there are ways to recognise gossip and nip it in the bud. 

1. Are you talking to a third party about somebody else's business? That's gossip,  so stop. 

2. Are you really sure that you are doing this so that you can help that individual? If so,  what is your plan for helping.  If you have none then stop talking.  It's not your business. 

3. We all have friends who are just dying to know the latest developments in some body else's life.  The unfortunate thing is that we often come across information because people confide in us.  So let us learn to keep things that are confidential to ourselves.  Don't even tell your other best friend.  It's how gossip starts in the first place.  When asked,  simply say "I was told in confidence"  and leave it there.  Eventually your friends will learn that they shouldn't even bother to ask you about some body else's business. These two verses of scripture bring out this point clearly. 

Proverbs 11:13
A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.

Proverbs 25:10
Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation. 

I hope these tips can help us become more aware of gossip and how easily we can fall into the trap.  As with all things,  awareness is the first step towards resolution. 

Have a blessed day. 


Devotions like this one and others can be found in the Soul Food Series in Kindle or paperback format. 
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Sunday, October 13, 2013

No Looking Back

Looking back can be very tempting.  When God asks us to move forward, He usually requires that we leave some things that are very important to us behind.  These things tend to spur what I call,  the Lot's Wife Syndrome -  looking back at the things that should be left behind with longing. 

That story bears an important lesson for all of us.  There are certain things in our lives that may be tripping us up, causing us to stumble, to fall, to be in constant pain etc.  These may even be things, places or people that we love.  However when God is ready to bring us to the place where we fulfill our destiny,  those things can't come with us.  They'll hinder our growth and cause us to fall all over again.  That is why he asks is to leave them behind. 

We all know that this is easier said than done; but one thing that will make the task a little less daunting is getting rid of the Lot's Wife Syndrome.  Looking back every few days at what you left behind will make you want to go back and pick it up again. 

God knew that Lot's wife was heading for trouble that day,  hence the reason she was turned into a pillar of salt.  She probably wanted to go back.  She had friends in that burning city.  Her home was there;  her whole life was there. However, if she went back,  then Lot would have probably followed,  after all, she was his wife.  I believe that God could not allow something like that, so she was stopped. 

Let us stop looking back with longing at the things we know that we need to leave behind us.  Let us follow God with confidence, knowing the He is leading us to the best thing for us. 

Determine today that there will be no looking back. There will be no "Lot's Wife Syndrome".


Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 
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Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Lives of Honour

Revealing God's character and His presence through your life is one of the fundamentals of Christianity. The very name by which we call ourselves means "like Christ". This means therefore that our lives must pattern after Christ.


So, do our lives reveal the character and presence of God. Can somebody look at us and see Christ's love displayed in our everyday actions, words and temperaments? You see, our biggest testimony here on earth is not what we say, but rather, what we do. We are constantly being watched. I know that in my everyday life, at home, work and everywhere I go, people are constantly examining my behaviour simply because I have declared myself a Christian. I know that sometimes that examination is simply to find my every moment of weakness and amplify it for ridicule, but even that is a testimony. Since we serve the God who is in charge of the universe, our reactions in the face of adversity should display that. God has our backs and when we're backed into a corner, or have been made very angry, we should remember who our God is instead of reacting like the rest of the world.

The rest of the world needs our lives to be an arrow pointing to Christ because lets face it, most of them will never just read the bible on their own or attend one of our churches even though we invite them a hundred times. Our biggest testimony is the way we live our lives because it's what people see and relate to.

So today, let's begin by making a conscious effort to let our lights shine, not by preaching on street corners, but by living lives that will bring Glory and Honour to His name. My goal is that people will start coming to me begging to know how I got through a difficult situation with poise, or how I was able to remain calm when I should have been frantic, or how I'm still alive when I should be dead. That is the biggest opener for sharing God's love with anyone.


“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Matthew 5:14-16

May God bless you and be with you today!


Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 
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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Does your Worship make God smile?

Our Worship is something that God enjoys. It is communion with Him and we were made for that sole purpose. It makes God happy to receive worship. It is all that we actually own and can give to Him. Everything else, he gave to us. Worship is our only real gift to God.

So does your worship make God happy? Or does it make Him cringe and want to move away? Let me explain. God abhors sin. He can't dwell where sin is. Therefore, if your worship is from a life filled with sin, then you've got a problem.

You see, our first act of worship, before we lift our hands and sing, is the way we live our lives. God is honoured when we choose to obey Him. He is honoured when we choose to love others and He is honoured when we choose to live right. That is our first act of worship.  If our lives don't line up to His word, His will and His commands, it does not make him smile. Our songs will be like screeches in His ears simply because they are not truth.

John 4:24 reminds us that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth. That simply means that what we say should match what we do. That is the only way our worship will make God smile.

I don't know about you, but I love the fact that my worship can make such a wonderful God smile and it scares me that sometimes I open my mouth and He cringes.

To start off your day, here's the song that inspired this post.


 

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Saturday, June 15, 2013

The Real Reality

So today, we're going to step away from the usual focus of this blog for just a little bit, but don't worry, I promise that you will still learn something.

Last year around this time, I released a new novel called Finding Romeo, a fictional story centered around two Christian young people. It's a romance novel, but I like to call it real life romance, cause let's face it, this stuff really happens in real life. In order for you to see where I'm going with this post, I gotta tell you a little bit about what happens in the novel so bear with me just a little bit.

See, my heroine, Daynia, is a Christian young woman with a desire to get married, just like most Christian young women her age, but she's been hurt before, also just like other young women her age, so she's a bit vulnerable. In comes Mr. Prince Charming himself, ready to sweep her off her feet. Richard (his name) is a church goer, so in Daynia's mind he must be a Christian right? Well...you decide. Anyways, they meet, they date and Daynia falls in love and (GASP)....Daynia let's her guard down and THEY HAVE SEX!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I did it! I dared to put a sex scene (watered wayyyyy down of course) in a "Christian Romance Novel". Why you ask? Because in real life, people who are struggling to live a Christian life make dumb mistakes and have sex. Trust me, it happens. How do I know? CAUSE IT HAPPENED TO ME!

So what's all this about today you ask? Well, you see... I was pretty discouraged about this book less than one month after it's release. I submitted it to fellow Christian authors for their honest review and THREE of them came back saying that they would NOT review the book. Why you ask? Because two Christians (dramatic gasp) had SEX! How dare me right?

Well yes I dared! Now that I've had a whole year to stew on my decision, I stand by it. You see, when I wrote this book, I had no plans for it to be another wishy washy romance novel where characters face unrealistic situations, hate each other for a while and then finally fall in love and ride into the sunset. There is more than enough of that out there. Several years ago, when God gave me the mandate for my life, it was to help others with my experiences. Well, Finding Romeo is my experience. Daynia is me.

You see in real life, we do dumb things. Really, really dumb things. We don't pay attention to warning signs, or to God's voice for that matter. We plunge ahead with decisions without thinking and we put ourselves in situations that are down right dangerous. Finding Romeo is my reminder to other young Christian women my age of the crappy stuff that happens to us if we don't pay attention or take heed. Daynia gave in to her beau and gave him herself, over and over again as a matter of fact. In return, she had to sacrifice her spiritual life and her heart. Richard didn't love her, as a matter of fact, he only kind of liked her. She was the girl he filled his spare time with whilst he tried desperately to get his ex back, the real love of his life. Daynia was warned but she ignored her friends. Like I said, Daynia is me (the exact details of her story aren't quite mine but you get the point).

So Christians, ladies, friends. Christianity has rules, things we should do and things we should stay away from, but let's be honest with our selves. We break the rules ALL THE TIME. Can we stop pretending that we don't and deal with the issues that cause us to break the rules. There's always a reason that we end up doing something that we really didn't want to do. Sit back a moment and consider the root cause of some of your actions. You'll find it so much easier not to make the same mistake twice, or three or four times....like in my case.

Be blessed today folks and have a good one. Oh and if you're interested in reading my Christian novel where two Christians are dumb enough to have SEX (dramatic gasp) then you can click on the cover below and get yourself a copy!


Thursday, June 13, 2013

Doing what you Believe

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:21
It's easy to talk Christianity. Throw in a few catch phrases, quote a few scripture verses, talk about an experience from ten years ago and you'll sound like you've got it right. It's a completely different thing to live the life of a Christian though. 

Throughout the New Testament we are reminded that it's our actions and the state of the heart that determines the state of a man, not what we say. You see, what we do cannot be separate from what we believe. If we say we believe something then our actions should follow in line with what we believe. I've said this before and I'll say it again, the world shuns Christianity simply because of the Christians. We preach one thing but live completely contrary to what we say. People can't see our God portrayed in us, nor can they see the changes in our lives that we claim He can make in theirs. They don't see it not because our God can't do it, but because we refuse to let Him. God won't do anything in us we don't allow or we don't ask for. So whilst He's waiting for permission to move in our lives, those on the outside looking in are wondering what the big commotion is all about. They see no change. 

Change always starts with one person taking stock of what needs to change and making it happen. If if person works on themselves soon the whole will be changed. Let today be the day we decide to stop talking church and start living like Christ. Not only should we strive to be like Him but we should also allow Him the time and free reign to work on us. Allow his will to be done in our lives and follow his directions as He gives it. 

Today, let us not only talk Christianity but let us also live it.



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Monday, June 3, 2013

It begins with you!

There are a lot of things wrong with the way we behave in the body of Christ, there's no doubt about that. Nothing is wrong with the church that Christ built, however we are mere humans marred by sin and we have weaknesses.

Yesterday, a friend of mine told me a story. He said to me that one day, a lady at church simply walked up to him and invited him and his siblings to lunch. My friend was overwhelmed and quite frankly, suspicious of the lady's motives. He asked many questions about her, trying to figure out what she really was up to. Finding nothing that worried him, he finally accepted the invitation.

My friend's behaviour may be a bit paranoid, but when you really think about it, there's a reason for that. Kindness is missing in the body of Christ so much so that when it is offered to us, we find it strange. We see each others needs, (emotional, spiritual and physical) and we simply offer to pray, most of the time forgetting to actually pray for that person.

So the body of Christ is sick. No every joint is supplying and instead of doing our part we look to the person sitting next to us in the pews or even to church leadership. We have grown into a society that cares more for our own well being than that of others. We have lost our empathy.

Things can change in the body of Christ very easily. All it takes is each person working on himself. Each person seeing where they have erred and making a move to fix it. Each person showing kindness to the next, or love to the next or extending forgiveness to the next. That's how the body of Christ would return to proper functionality.

Ever wonder why it's so hard to convince others of the love of Christ? It's because we do not show that love. We talk about it but people do not feel it coming out of us. We are Christ's hands here on earth. We are the ones that are to show forth his love. People get to know Him through us. When we begin to show Christ's love tangibly, our buildings will become too small to hold the flock.

So today, let us not go about complaining about all the things we see that are wrong in our own local churches, but let us start to make the necessary changes individually. Before long, we will see the change we have always wished to see in the entire body. 

It begins with you!

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Saturday, April 13, 2013

Feather-weight Christianity

Since Christ made an appearance here on earth Christianity has always demanded a bit of radical faith. First of all, it takes a radical determination to believe the things we do. To the ordinary man, what we believe looks somewhat ridiculous. It may even look ridiculous in our own eyes sometimes, but we have our experiences and assurances that keep us going, so we believe.

Believing is one thing, however, actions are something totally different. Back in the day of the apostles, proclaiming Christianity was punishable by death, yet that era gave us the most radical Christians we have ever seen. In the face of persecution, the apostles continued to preach, teach and lead their flocks of believers.

Nowadays, we have things so much easier. We can gather in public places and talk about our God. We can declare boldly that "I am a Christian" without fear of any harm coming to us. We basically have it pretty easy.
So why then are so many of us practicing feather-weight Christianity? Why are we just doing to bare minimum? We walk into church on Sunday morning, or Tuesday night or whatever other day we choose to go to church and after that we behave like we've paid our dues. We have the "no one can judge me except God" attitude and we basically live our lives however we want. Most days, no thought is taken concerning God's rules and our lifestyle does not match up with the Bible or with Christ. We have a million and one excuses for the reason that we can't do what the Bible says and we claim that those that do are fanatics or ignorant Bible thumpers.

Its been said before that the main reason the world resents Christianity is the Christians. We don't practice what we preach and that serves as a deterrent to those on the outside. Our pulpits are confused and we relax our principles in the name of tolerance or love. I bet God is saddened when he looks down on His Church; His bride that he's supposed to return for. The bride that should be getting ready for his return.

There are a lot of things wrong with collective Christianity but it takes each individual to look at him/herself and make the changes. The Church is you and it is me. It is not a building or a denomination. Therefore it is not a building or a denomination that needs to change but you and I. Our priorities need to be reset, goals revisited and lives re-examined because change starts with the individual. Let your neighbors see a difference in the way you live. Let your coworkers see a difference in the way you work. Don't use excuses to fornicate or to party like a wild animal. It's easy to put on makeup and head to church and call yourself a Christian, but it's a totally different story where living the life is concerned. Let's go back to the basics, honouring God and doing His will. That's all that's required from us.

Let's live today with a difference. The world is watching.



Devotions like this one and others can be found in a handy collection in Kindle or paperback format. 
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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Wearing Kindness around your neck!

Are you loving and kind? If you are a Christian you will probably say yes. Love and kindness are words that are or should be synonymous with Christianity. In other words, if you are a Christian, then you should be loving and kind.

Well, unfortunately for some of us, love and kindness are actions, not feelings. You see, love does no one any good if it is not demonstrated. Same goes for kindness. A hungry child is not fed simply because you feel compassion towards them. They only get fed if you get up and feed them.

I watched a pretty disturbing video yesterday where a camera crew and a couple of actors tested the general public on a street corner. They pretended to kidnap a 7 yr old girl (also an actor). This little girl called out for help several times, screaming at the top of her lungs "he's not my dad". Several people passed by (men, women and teens), but no one helped this girl. Over and over, they did their act until finally a group of men, without uttering a word to each other acted in unison. They not only felt compassion or kindness towards the little girl, they acted on it.

That story reminds me of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan. Our world has conditioned us to think in a "it's not my business" kind of way and even as Christians we adopt that culture. We ignore the plight, not only of our fellow Christians but also of our fellow men in general, thinking that somebody else will help.

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:3 (NLT)Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Something tied around your neck or written deep in your heart cannot easily be forgotten. Let us remember to exercise kindness at all times. Don't leave it to someone else. Don't feel sad and then do nothing about a situation. Your feelings don't help anyone. It's your actions that do.

Go out today with kindness tied around your neck!


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